Daniela Ingrosso

IÃ¢â‚¬â„¢m Daniela, DaniÃ¢â‚¬Â¦ Ã¤Â¸Â¹Ã¥Â¦Â®, and I was born in the beautiful country of ITALY!

I grew up in a picturesque town called Lecce nestled on the Ã¢â‚¬Å“heel of the bootÃ¢â‚¬Â, ItalyÃ¢â‚¬â„¢s southern tip, between the Adriatic and Ionian seas. Like many traditional families in this sun soaked Mediterranean region, I spent much of my youth under the love and care of my grandmother. Throughout my formative years my grandmother taught me many things but most of all she gave me a passion for cooking. She shared traditional recipes and family culinary secrets passed down through the generations. It is the greatest gift anyone could have bestowed upon me and now I want to share that gift with you.

So how did I end up thousands of miles away from this sundrenched Mediterranean paradise?

It all started at the age of 18 when I started studying Chinese in college. IÃ¢â‚¬â„¢ve always been interested in languages and thus began a long journey that eventually led me to move to China. After completing my Masters, I moved to Beijing, the cultural epicenter of the mainland,Ã‚Â short after I got a jobÃ‚Â in Shanghai, which is howÃ‚Â I ended up in the mainlandÃ¢â‚¬â„¢s business capital.

IÃ‚Â have lived here for more than 5 years now and, like many of you, IÃ¢â‚¬â„¢ve had a hard time preparing a proper western meal and finding proper ingredients, without breaking the bank.

Grocery shopping in Shanghai can be somewhat of an Ã¢â‚¬Å“adventureÃ¢â‚¬Â. Places like City Shop or Pines that generally cater to expat needs, often have high prices and are often lacking in selection.

IÃ¢â‚¬â„¢ve spent a lot of time tracking down the ingredients youÃ¢â‚¬â„¢ll need to cook my delicious recipes at affordable prices.

At the end of the day, I just want to build a site where I can share my familyÃ¢â‚¬â„¢s culinary traditions with you and hopefully have you share whatever delicious treats you may have in store for me.